Race For Your Life
by SuperGroverAway
Summary: A hunted brother and sister have to make one final dash to escape their merciless pursuer.


As old saying went, they were so close yet so very far. The frustration was absolutely killing Dipper as he took stock of their dire situation. He could clearly make out the Mystery Shack looming up ahead through the trees. It couldn't have been any further away than the length of a soccer field. Considering the way things were going at the moment however, the Shack might as well have been sitting on the far side of the moon.

A flittering shadow was case down from overhead, sending both siblings flinching. Their pursuer continued to intently circle high above, waiting for them to reappear. The crafty beast seemed to have an endless well of patience to draw upon. Instinctively both the Pines twins attempted to flatten themselves even closer against the forest floor. For now their thicket hideout did the trick. Dipper knew that they could take refuge there for only so long.

His sister buried her mouth into her arm to muffle a low whine. Mabel's nerves were stretched tight as a bowstring. Dipper could read it everywhere from the obvious fear burning in her chestnut eyes to the fact that her normally rosy cheeks had gone white. It made it all the more difficult for him to level things for her.

"We have to make a run for it." He announced in a low whisper. Mabel shook her head in vigorous protest. The thought alone of exposing themselves to the winged horror above was nearly too much to take.

"Uh-uh! Maybe...maybe we can just wait until it...I dunno, needs to go to the bathroom, or...or something!" She babbled. The had already been chased for so long. The girl didn't honestly know how much more of this she could take.

"Mabel, it's not going away." To help drive the point home, the hunter's harsh cry rent the air, sending freezing shivers racing down their spines. Whimpering, Mabel huddled up tightly against her brother. Despite her valiant efforts to keep a hold on herself, she trembled so hard that he could feel it. Dipper looked at the terror etched all over her face, and swallowed hard.

"Look, if it'll help, then I-I'll go first." He bravely suggested. "I'll wave my hat or something, and then you can-"

"No!" Mabel's yelp nearly gave away their position. Hastily she slapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's okay, I'll be fine." He was only doing a marginally better job keeping his wits together; after all, this foe was one of the most frighteningly relentless beasts they had ever encountered. Thanks to an untimely crack in his voice, his halfhearted assurance fell flat.

His twin grunted stubbornly in solid refusal, and before he could even utter another syllable she reached over and grasped his hand tightly. She didn't even need to say a single word. Her body language made it perfectly plain that this was no time for sacrifice. She wasn't going anywhere without him, no matter how badly that lessened their chances of getting out in one piece. Like every other challenge they faced, they were doing this together.

Dipper accepted this silent ultimatum at first with a sigh, and then a grateful nod. She had a point. Neither one had ever left the other behind, and they weren't going to start now.

"All right..." He surrendered. "But we have to make a go for it soon. All right?"

"Okay..." She relented, swallowing hard. Dipper squeezed her hand.

"We'll be okay. Just follow my lead." He whispered. The two waited, with icy constrictions in their chests and heavy lumps sitting in their throats. Finally, he decided it was time to make a break for it. "All right, here we go...on the count of three..."

Dead silence descended on them again, save for the frantic thudding of hearts jackhammering against ribcages. Dipper quietly counted down on his fingers, slowly lowering them one at a time. After what felt like a wretchedly tense eternity, he reached one.

"NOW! GO GO GO GO!" In a flash they were up on their feet and sprinting like mad. Low hanging tree branches whipped their cheeks, prickly bushes scratched at their exposed legs, and they didn't register any of this in the slightest. They cared about one thing only, and that was getting to the safety of the Shack. Dipper couldn't even hear his own ragged breath over the pounding in his ears.

Maybe it was just surge of adrenalin now coursing through his veins, but with every passing instant he found himself becoming increasingly optimistic about their chances. In no time they cleared the last stretch of forest, and made it to the dirt parking lot unscathed. Refuge wasn't far away at all now. Maybe they were going to be all right.

Only a moment later though his short-lived hopes were ruthlessly crushed. Their dogged pursuer swooped down and came to a landing only a few yards up ahead. Its winding, serpentine neck twisted and rolled as it menacingly spread dark wings. Beady black locked onto them with a piercing stare while it let out a high-pitched hiss, revealing a row of wicked serrated teeth sandwiching its spine-coated tongue.

They were running too hard to stop in time. Both twins and the winged menace collided hard. All was suddenly utter chaos as they became embroiled in a mix of flailing arms, kicking legs, beating wings, snapping serrated mouth and clawed webbed feet. By some miracle, Mabel was able to wretch her body free from the thrashing mess, and flopped hard against the ground. She looked back just in time to watch her twin narrowly avoid a bite to his neck. Dipper was fighting tooth and nail, but was still only barely holding his own.

"DIE! DIE, YOU PILE OF FEATHERY EVIL! DIE!" She scrabbled at the ground, and sent a hail of hastily assembled dirt clods flying through the air. One of the improvised missiles scored a lucky hit, striking their foe smack in the head and sending it staggering off balance. Head spinning, Dipper dazedly dragged himself way through the grass. His sister lunged forward, lugged him up by the arm, and led the way as together they poured all their remaining energy into one last desperate dash.

While heart-stopping madness reigned supreme outside, inside the gift shop Wendy was obviously napping on the job. The door swung open with a loud bang, finally alerting her to the ongoing terror. She awoke with a fierce jolt and whooped loudly as she toppled from her chair. The twins hurled themselves inside, hitting the rough wood floor like they were leaping away from a grenade ready to go off.

"Guys, what's-" The teen heard the wicked honking cry, and everything become clear as day. Every muscle in her lanky body instantly tensed to life with dismay. Wendy sprang to her feet, slammed the door, and clicked the lock into place. The girl then threw her entire weight against it, bracing herself without a single instant to spare. There was a loud thud, then an embittered cry. The din was then followed thankfully a flap of wings as the frustrated fiend fluttered away. Wendy heaved a relieved sigh and collapsed against the floor.

It was over. The nightmare was over.

It took a few moments for the Pines to realize that they were still in one piece. Mabel warily cracked one eye open. Once she was one hundred percent positive that they had indeed survived, she got onto her knees and gratefully threw her sweater-sleeved arms up in the air.

"YES!" She squealed with unbridled joy. "ALIVE! ALIIIIIVE!"

After confirming the near-unbelievable truth for himself, Dipper was practically overcome with a relief. As his entire body went limp, Wendy couldn't help but laugh at the sight he cut as she sauntered over.

"You okay, dude?" She crouched down and prodded him in the shoulder. The preteen didn't even attempt to try to put on any kind of show for his secret crush. After all, they had just barely outrun horror personified. As his heart rate finally began to come down, he rolled over with a gasp.

"Yeah. Think so." He wiped his sweat-soaked brow and wheezed. "Oh man...that was _way_ too close."

"I know, right?" Bubbling with triumph, Mabel had already awarded herself a glittery sticker, and was halfway in the process of slapping one onto her twin's iconic pine-tree cap. "Geese are seriously the biggest jerks..."


End file.
